I. Field
The following description relates generally to wireless communications, and, amongst other things, to mitigation of interference.
II. Background
Wireless networking systems have become a prevalent means by which a majority of people worldwide has come to communicate. Wireless communication devices have become smaller and more powerful in order to meet consumer needs and to improve portability and convenience. Consumers have become dependent upon wireless communication devices such as cellular telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and the like, demanding reliable service, expanded areas of coverage and increased functionality.
Generally, a wireless multiple-access communication system may simultaneously support communication for multiple wireless terminals or user devices. Each terminal communicates with one or more access points via transmissions on the forward and reverse links. The forward link (or downlink) refers to the communication link from the access points to the terminals, and the reverse link (or uplink) refers to the communication link from the terminals to the access points.
Wireless systems may be multiple-access systems capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing the available system resources (e.g., bandwidth and transmit power). Examples of such multiple-access systems include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, and orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems.
Typically, each access point supports terminals located within a specific coverage area referred to as a sector. A sector that supports a specific terminal is referred to as the serving sector. Other access points, not supporting the terminal, are referred to as non-serving sectors. The term “sector” can refer to an access point and/or an area covered by an access point, depending upon context. Terminals within a sector can be allocated specific resources (e.g. time and frequency) to allow simultaneous support of multiple terminals. However, transmissions by terminals in neighboring sectors may not be coordinated. Consequently, transmissions by terminals in neighboring sectors can cause interference and degradation of terminal performance.